The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-20
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brouSh: over twelve hundred dollars more
than the debt, and she must take out let
tiers OF administration. And tell her for
me not to think OF moving. She can have
the house aud the garden around it free of
rent. She's a shifty woman and with that
start she'll get along"
l felt that FoIjambe's conduct was
through an impulse OF generosity which
he could well afford. But the general YER
dict was that he was a fool. Had he bid
hundred over Phipps, or even two hundred,
it might have passed, but TO throw away
absolutely throw away-twelve hundred
dollarsI When they heard aiCerward that
he had given the widow lie estate in the
house and garden, it was generally agreed
that he should have guardian over him
TO save his property.
Talk died out, however, to be revived
again by another astounding act of folly.
The EIlomah Iron Works, about mile
from Brantford, had exhausted the bed of
orethey had been working for over forty
years, and had to bring the crude material
some distance By rail and water. 1t began
TO be a question whether it would not pay
TO build new furnace near the source of
supply and abandon the old one. Suddenly,
however, a new ore bed was opened close
al hand. The fOrly-two acres OF clayey hill
on the Peabody farm was found 20 cover a
heavy deposit of hmOnIte. AS that ore gen
orally contains Impurities only fitting it for
"cold short" iron, little attention was paid
TO II. But wnen the chemist of the COM
pany made three separate analyses and dis
covered the usual Phosphorus was re-
placed By nearly three per cent. of mangan-
csc oxide, the thing took another shape.
The company offered FOlj3n5e a handsome
royalty, which he at once declined. He
would sell outright or not 1t all. After
some chafTcring and rough survey of the
bed, they took all the farm but the widows
five acres, and paid $1,000
- fool for luck" was the general COM
ment But the reputation OF FOijambe for
downright folly was at its height when it
lea led out afterward that he had settled
49, $50 dollars on Mrs. Peabody-that is,
the interest during life 10 her, and the
principal to her daughter afterward. No
word sufficed TO express the wonder, con-
tempt and disgust at this act Of folly.
Old Eggs died about this time, and GAL
chieze offered me a share in the business if
l could put in 5000. had saved a little
over half of that by pinching and screwing,
but was puzzled about the rest. Foljambe
found it out and gave me the money ON my
note. Some folks may think this folly on
his part. but l did not. Neither did he, for
l have paid 1t back 10 ne since.
When the Widow Pea5od got her money
she sent Rebccca off to boarding-schooI, as
she could well afford to, and there the girl
remained FOR four years, barring visits
home at vacation. When she came back TO
stay, she had grown into handsome, self
possessed young woman. and she was quite
admired by the young fellows around. In
addition TO good looks and good manners
she won Id have nice sum in hard cash in
time-a good thing to add to young mans
family resources. But she was of a do
mestic turn, stayed at home with her
mother, and rarely went abroad. No sutton
SCENE to meet favor in her eyes, though
she had several
During Rebecca's absence at school, Fol
jambe had been going along quietly, and
people had ceased to talk of him; but
shortly after her return he broke out again.
One day, an old man in dusty suit and
boots that had been bIackened a week be-
fore, and who carried a small grip-sack,
got out ut Brantford station and inquired
if the Widow Peabody lived at the old farm
yet We soon learned that he was the long
after all these years, appare ntly as poor as
a church mouse, and doub less with intent
to sponge on the Widow Peabody He was
not so very old. either, but looked like
man whom hard luck and a hot climate had
dried up and wrinklel
To our surprise he was made wei come by
the widow and Rebccca, and took up his
abode there. He was a queer specimen.
After the dust of travel had been brushed
off he was clean enough; but his clothes
were of ordinary material and well worn
1t was evident that he was poor, but he
didn't seem to mind it. He walked about
and held himself up as though he owned
ouc-half the town and meant to buy the
other. He was ready with his tongue too,
and, if any one said a disagreeable or i'm
pertinent thing, could repay it with interest
Foljambe took great notion to him, and
told me that the old man was keen and had
wonderfully practical business ideas for one
who had not profted by his precepts,
thing have observed to be not uncommon.
A man can pick up more valuable hints
from the unsuccessful around him than he
can from sharp business men. So the two
grew quite intimate, and almost any fine
evening might be seen IN confab together
on the widows front porch, with the widow
and Rebecca near, interested listen ers to
their chat.
This was IN August, 1850. The whole coun-
try was in a state of excitement 1t was
known thai reconciliation between the war
ring Democratic factions was impossible
and that Lincoln would be elected. The
question was, would there be war! Fol
jam5e suddenly put the plantation in charge
Of old Uncle David, and went of South. He
visited Virginia, North Carolina and Geor-
gia, and was gone about two months. When
he came back, asked him. Does the South
really mean fight, Mr.. Foijambe.'
at really does" he replied. sadly; Il
don't think they'll be able to keepit up more
than a year or so, unless England inter
feres, for we have the most money and the
most men; but it will be fierce while it lasts.
1t Is going to disturb values very much, as
well as domestic relations"
The first thing Foljambe did on coming
home was to build a number of long wooden
sheds, some Of them inclosed; and he kept
the carpenters gong day and night. The
whole neigh borhood was aroused Was he
going iuto sheep-raisny on large scale,
or what crowning folly was Fool Jim AZ
nowl l was his Only partisan. Every one
said he was goIug stark, staring mad. But
the excitement grew 70 hubbuG when
there ednle carload after carload, by the
railway, OF barrels of rosin and bales of
cotton-the former stored under the open
and the latter in the enclosed sheds. The
cotton did not excite so much astonishment.
but the rosinl Such an amount of it
Some one had the curiosity to nose around
and count the number OF barrels piled in
one of the long and high sheds. Ten thou
sand Of theml And there were five more
such sheds, and jaum I'd full Sixty thou
sand barrels of rosinl And no end of cot
ton bales! What would he do with 1t!